Tools that are used in surgical procedures for cutting bone are often difficult to clean. Prions and soft tissue embedded in the tool from prior use are difficult to remove. Accordingly, to ensure that no cross contamination occurs between uses cutting tools for surgical procedures are typically designed for a single use. Consequently, the cost for such tools can be high. For example, many of acetabular reamers used to cut pelvic bones (e.g., for hip replacement) are made with complex and expensive machinery. Currently available acetabular reamers (e.g., tools for cutting bone conforming to the acetabular socket of the pelvic bone) have complex configurations that require high manufacturing tolerances and still result in significant rejection rates, further increasing manufacturing cost. High costs of manufacture mean high final cost of the tool, which reduces the user's desire to discard such tools after a single use. However, the accuracy of cavities and other cutouts created by used tools is substantially reduced, compared to those created with single use tools.
Additionally, in many instances it has been observed that the preparation time for the cutting process increases dramatically after the first or second use of a currently available acetabular reamer as the reamers get dull. Dull reamers create more heat at bone surface. The temperature at bone surface in these cases has been measured and shown to exceed 56 degrees C. if temperature of bone surface does exceed 56 degrees C. for duration exceeding 10 second thermal osteonecrosis could occur. Moreover, by the sixth time of use, the preparation time may exceed 30 seconds, in some configurations. Thus, a safe lifetime of currently available acetabular reamers is less than six cutting procedures. Additionally to extended preparation times, the size of an acetabulum reamed with a blunt reamer may not accurately represent the desired size. This inaccuracy may then adversely affect implant selection or implantation and complicate post-surgery recovery, reducing the overall effectiveness of the procedure.